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Melanoma

Melanoma

Young women may be up on the latest fashions and trends as they prepare for prom season, but what many don’t know is that the tan that looks good with their dress may be the first step toward skin cancer. And cancer is not glamorous, as a Penn State Hershey Melanoma and Skin Cancer Center expert notes.

Penn State College of Medicine researchers have developed a nanoparticle to deliver a melanoma-fighting drug directly to the cancer. Delivering cancer drugs directly to tumors is difficult. Scientists are working on new approaches to overcome the natural limitations of drugs, including loading them into nanoparticles.

Penn State Hershey Melanoma Center is leading a statewide collaboration designed to advance melanoma prevention and treatment. The Consortium of Melanoma Centers of Pennsylvania was established in February and includes melanoma centers and programs from Penn State, University of Pennsylvania, Thomas Jefferson, The Wistar Institute, St Luke’s Hospital, Temple University/Fox Chase and the University of Pittsburgh. The consortium is the first of its kind in the melanoma arena and will significantly advance efforts to prevent and treat melanoma.

Technology developed at Penn State College of Medicine and Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute led to the recent launch of Melanovus Oncology, Inc., a new start-up company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing innovative new therapies for late stage melanoma and other skin cancers.

At the core of the work done by Melanovus Oncology, Inc., is the discovery of several new therapies that hold significant promise for melanoma patients. The therapies, based on work started at the College of Medicine and the Cancer Institute, use a unique approach that regulates the processes leading to tumor development and could result in slowing tumor growth, more effective tumor inhibition and a decrease in the probability of developing drug resistance.

In the United States, one person dies of melanoma every hour. Incidence of melanoma continues to rise in young adults -- particularly among female adolescents and young adults -- because they are much more likely to use UV tanning beds.

The 11th Annual Melanoma Mini-Symposium will be held noon to 4:30 p.m. on Monday, May 21, in the Junker Auditorium on the campus of Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center and Penn State College of Medicine. This year's theme is Natural and Synthetic Nanoparticle for Treating and Imaging Melanoma.

This year, like every year, more than one-third of Americans will get at least one sunburn. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, the risk of melanoma, the deadliest type of skin cancer, more than doubles with just one severe sunburn in childhood or adolescence or from five such overexposures in a lifetime.

Skin cancer, including melanoma, is the most common of all cancer types. More than 2 million skin cancers are diagnosed each year in the United States. That's more than all other cancers combined. But, skin cancer is largely preventable by avoiding overexposure to harmful UV-A and UV-B rays -- outdoors and in -- and skin cancer is extremely treatable if caught early.

While incidents of melanoma continue to increase despite the use of sunscreen and skin screenings, a topical compound called ISC-4 may prevent melanoma lesion formation, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers.

Melanoma is the leading cause of death from skin disease - and its rate of occurrence is steadily increasing. In an attempt to fight this trend, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center today announced the formation of the Penn State Hershey Melanoma Center.

The way melanoma cells use the immune system to spread and develop into lung tumors may lead to a therapy to decrease development of these tumors, according to Penn State researchers. "Melanoma is the most aggressive and metastatic form of skin cancer," said Gavin Robertson, professor of pharmacology, pathology, dermatology and surgery in the Penn State College of Medicine. "Therefore, identifying proteins and molecular mechanisms that regulate metastasis is important for developing drugs to treat this disease."

This year, like every year, more than one-third of Americans will get at least one sunburn. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, the risk of melanoma -- the deadliest type of skin cancer -- more than doubles with just one severe sunburn in childhood or adolescence or from five such over exposures in a lifetime. But the sun isn't the only culprit. Evidence that indoor tanning is associated with skin cancer is mounting.

Now that the weather is nice, people will spend more time outside. Whether it's doing yard work, playing golf or relaxing at the beach, we are a nation of sun lovers. Some people with light skin may even spend a few sessions in the tanning booth to begin to develop a golden hue that looks like they spent a week at the beach. Others work outside and whether they planned to or not, they will get more sunlight for the next six months. This carries a note of concern, since sunlight is very likely the reason malignant melanoma incidence has doubled since the 1970's with an estimated 69,000 new cases expected this year and almost 9,000 deaths, according to the latest edition of The Medical Minute, a service of the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center.

Join Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute for the eighth annual melanoma mini-symposium on June 8 in Lecture Room D of the main hospital. The event, focused on the importance of clinical trials for the treatment of melanoma, begins at noon and is scheduled to run until 4:30 p.m.

Free skin cancer screenings will be offered Saturday, May 2, from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center to coincide with Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention Month. The event will take place at the University Physician Center in the Dermatology Clinic, Suite 100. To schedule an appointment, call the CareLine at 1 (800) 243-1455.